A FAMILY THAT EATS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER
By Radha Priya devi dasi
The Sunday feasts at New Govardhana are pretty epic, and like many events here they are a family affair. Our feasts are cooked by families and friends and shared by families and friends from the surrounding community.
Sunday feasts – in the early days called ‘Sunday Love Feasts’ – were a very important and successful element in Srila Prabhupada’s strategy to present Krishna consciousness to the greater public.
Last month we celebrated the 39th installation anniversary of Sri Sri Radha Govardhanadhari with the most extraordinary Sunday feast cooked by awesome duo team Saki Charan dasa and Rupa Durr. Thirty-nine cakes in honor of the 39th year, fit to rival any top French patisserie, were a highlight of the feast.
Cooking the Sunday feast is a special opportunity to serve the Lord and His devotees. It goes without saying it can also become a highly stressful, hair-raising exercise!
I was fortunate to have cooked a few feasts at New Govardhana since moving to this wonderful community.
Somehow, I’m the kind of cook who doesn’t just feel satisfied with making the basics. I must learn to curb my enthusiasm and stay focused in the kitchen to avoid increasing the Treasurer’s blood pressure …
An important element of the Sunday feast is organizing the roster for it. Vasusrestha dasa takes on the challenging task of finding and encouraging the Sunday feast cooks. Last but not least there is Padmalochan dasa, who does all the grocery shopping for the event.
Cooking the feast is just part of the whole equation: a big thank you goes to George and Kool, who wash all the pots and clean the kitchen after the feast.
The servers and their organizers are also a critical part of our wonderful Sunday program. There is the dedicated team Shyam dasa and family who ensure that the serving of the feast goes seamlessly. A big thanks is also due to all the volunteers who serve the long lines enthusiastic Sunday participants.
As you can see, it’s a team effort and a family affair.
We have a huge crowd of visitors from all walks of life, from far and near, who come enthusiastically to participate.
Srila Prabhupada is most certainly very happy to witness the continuing success of his Sunday Love Feast phenomenon.